Histological and sodium - potassium pump immunolocalization in the intestine of the shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei

 The present study has done on 20 pieces L. vannamei shrimp, with average weight 5.53±0.02 g, in 500-liter tanks with three replicates during 8 weeks. At the end, the shrimp intestine were fixed in Bouin's solution for classic histology by Hematoxylin-Eosin (H & E) and green light (GL) and for immunolocalization of the Na+,K+-ATPase enzyme (sodium - potassium pump) by Immunohistochemistry methods. The results showed that the midgut epithelium was covered by simple columnar cells and nucleus position was in basal region of cells and Na+,K+-ATPase enzyme observed in basal region of cells. Evaluation of rectal pad large lobes deep infoldings and distance between the lobes were observed. Lumen was observed in the middle of rectal pad and apical lobes were evident and columnar cells in the marginal infoldings with basal nucleus were observed. Small appendage that called posterior diverticulum was located in primary and in upper region of rectal pad. This region was tubular and it cells with basal nucleus were observed. Rectum was located in distal region of hindgut. This region was a short muscular tube and lined with a simple columnar epithelium with low infoldings and apical nucleus in these cells were observed. The Na+, K+-ATPase enzyme (sodium - potassium pump) was located in baso-latral area in all regions of hindgut cells. We concluded that the use of H&E and GL is an appropriate method to separate different parts of intestine in vannamei shrimp and also immunohistochemistry is a suitable method for Na+,K+-ATPase enzyme localization.